Picture yourself on a nice beach. Us Minnesotans often do. Stuck in the cold for 6 months of the year, we really do relish our chances to get outside in the sun when the temps creep upward and the big jackets come off.

Our first stop anytime summer hits full swing is a place called Psycho Suzi’s. Right on the river, Suzi’s surrounds you with tattoos, boozehounds, bad taste and stiff drinks as they like to say. Their waitresses care about you but they’ll treat you badly, in the most endearing way.

The drinks are easy to drink but will punch your brain in the mouth. And their food is simple but offers a typhoon of surprisingly good flavors.

Psycho Suzi’s is unique for sure. They have a massive interior outfitted with the fresh breezy feel of the Hawaiian Islands but also has an equally sized outdoor patio, a place we always like to sit.

Tiki drinks are where it’s at here. We typically don’t share very well so we’ll often grab the One Eyed Willy, a dangerous concoction of dark Jamaican rum, 151 rum and fresh juices or if we are feeling extra hot, we grab the Psycho Zombie, a nice slush beverage that Suzi’s says will leave you brainless. Perhaps having one too many of these is how the apocalypse really starts.

If you’re nicer than us and can share, try the Leilani’s Fire Bowl, which is indeed on fire when it gets to you.

For food, ordering any of the appetizers is a good route. We like the Potluck Pickle Roll Ups for the nostalgic feeling it provides but some of the more popular items would be the cheese curds, Polynesian wings or the Brown Sugar Babies, which are bacon wrapped lil’ smokies with bourbon sauce. So yeah, you’ll want those.

What’s less Minnesotan than drinking out of a tiki glass while listening to the sounds of the ocean breeze. Before Suzi’s it was unheard of, now it’s just a quick drive away and we’re kicking back with our boozehounds.